Closure for glass-gathering openings



Sept. 16, 1930.

A. MATHE CLOSURE FOR GLASS GATHERING OPENINGS Filed Aug. 10 1926 In men to? lflatfi'e A itorn g9.

Patented Sept. 16,

' UNITED STATES rATENT OFFICE AIME MATHE, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO HARTFORD-EMPIRE COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE CLOSURE FOR GLASS-GATHERING OPENINGS Application filed August 10, 1926, Serial No. 128,507, and. in France September 8, 1925.

paratus in which a mold or other gathering receptacle is introduced directly into the glass furnace, or into a chamber communicating with the glass furnace, for the purpose of withdrawing a charge of glass for subsequent treatment.

The great difliculty in the use of automatic glass-gathering machines of this character resides in the overheating of the molds .or other gathering receptacle as a result of their direct contact with the atmosphere of the furnace, and the overheating of other parts of .the machine that are located in the immedi ate vicinity of the furnace, as a result of the opening of the furnace during the gathering operation. The workmen who look after the operation and the maintenance of the madunes are likewise sub ect to inconvenience through the radiation of heat from the furmice when the gathering hole is open.

The present invention has for its object an arrangement whereby these difiiculties are avoided. To this end, the closure of the gathering opening of the furnace consists of a box open at its rear and bottom sides and placed in the gathering opening. This box is advanced somewhat into the interior of the fur- 'nace for. the gathering operation so as to uncover the surface of the pool of glass where the gathering is to take place, without putting the interior of the furnace in communication with the outside.

This box is preferably disposed in the gathering opening insuch a way that its inner wall is in line with the interior of the furnace wall, so as to thereby completely avoid any recess in the interior of the furnace. These recesses would prevent obtaining homogeneous and hot glass in the pool. In case of a door placed in line with the outer wall of the furnace or outside of the furnace, the gathering opening forms, in efiect, a recess in which the air becomes cooled through contact with the door, thereby. preventing the radiation from the crown upon the pool of glass inthe immediate neighborhood of this recess and cooling the surface of this pool-of glass by the movement-of the cold air con- My invention relates to glass gathering ap- The box is preferably metallic, with a facing or block of refractory material on its side which is directed toward theinterior of the furnace, and this box is provided with means for circulating cooling water. This circulation ofwater can be omitted if the box is composed entirely of a block of refractory material.

- This closure arrangement'for the gather-' ing opening can be operated by any suitable means, for example, by a lever, a pedal, a counterweight, a pneumatic cylinder, etc. It is preferably operated automatically by the movement of the glass machine itself.

' The accompanying drawing represents by way of example an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a furnace, the section eing taken through the gathering outletv when the furnace is closed. Fig. 2 is a similar view during the gathering operation and Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view, the section being taken'on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

As shown, in the gathering outlet a which extends through the wall of the furnace, is

placed a metal box 6 open at its lower side and at'its rear or outer side. On the side of this box which is directed toward the interior of the furnace, is secured a block or facing of refractory material (I intended to protect it. The inn'erwall of this block a is'disposed in line with the inside of the furnace wall in the position when the furnace is closed as shown in Fig. 1, so that there does not exist any recess or cavity at the gathering outlet to trap air and communicate with the interior of'thefurnace. There is thus obtained a' radiation of heat from the crown of the furnace upon the molten glass. in a regular manner, which insures homogeneous glass.

The box structure is secured to a support at which can roll-upon rollers e. Themetallic part of the box is cooled by a circulation of water entering at f and discharging at This closure arrangement, cooled in the 'manner'described, protects at all times the molds g 'or other gathering members, as well as the workmen, from excessive radiation of heat from-the furnace.

For'the purpose of gathering the desired quantity of glass the box 6-70 is advanced somewhat into the interior of the furnace as shown in Fig. 2. In its movement it uncovers through its lower part the surface of the pool of glass where the gathering is to take place. Since the lower edge of the box reaches approximately to the level of the glass, only the gathering space is put in communication with the outer air through the gathering opening a. All the remainder of the mass of glass is protected by the box against the influence of the outer atmosphere, which results in economy of fuel by reason of the almost complete avoidance of loss of heat.

It will be understood that this embodiment of my invention is shown and described only;

structure, instead of being supported by rollers and moving back and forth, may be pivoted around a vertical or horizontal axis. Also, it may be operated in any desired manner.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a container for molten glass having an opening in a wall thereof above the glass level through which a glass gathering device may be moved to and from a glass gathering position in the con=' tainer, of a closure for the opening having a refractory portion adapted to substantially close a portion of said opening, and means for conducting a cooling fluid through said closure. 7

2. The combination with a container for molten glasshaving an opening in a wall thereof above the glass level through which a glass gathering device may be moved to a and from a glass gathering position in the container, of a closure for the opening having a refractory portion formed'with its inner face adapted to be substantially flush with the inner face of the container wall adjacent to said opening when said closure is in positionto close said opening, and means for conducting a cooling fluid through said closure without admitting said cooling fluid to the interior of said container.

3. The combination with a container for molten glass having an opening in a wall thereof above the glass level through which a; glass gathering device may be moved to'and from a glass gathering position in the container, of a closure for the opening having a refractory portion formed with its inner face adapted to be substantially flush with the inner face of the container wall adjacent to said opening when said closure is in position to close said opening, and means for so porting said closure for movement in line with said opening between said opening closing position and a non-closing position within the container.

4. The combination with a container for molten glass having an opening in a wall thereof above the glass level through which a glass gathering device may be moved to and from a glass gathering position in the container, of a closure for the opening having a refractory portion formed withits inner face adapted to be substantially flush with the inner face of the container wall adjacent to said opening when said closure is in posi-v tion to close said opening, means for supporting said closure for movement between said opening closing position and a non-closing position in timed relation with the movements of the glass gathering device.

5. The combination with a container for molten glass having an opening in a wall thereof above the glass level through which a glass gathering device may be moved to and from a glassgathering position in the container, of a closure for the opening having a refractory portion adapted to substantially close the inner end rtion of said opening, means for supporting said closurefor movement in line with said opening between said opening closing position and a non-closing position within the container,

said closure having baffle walls at the topand sides thereof outwardly of said refractory portion for cooperating with the latter when said closure is in its non-closing position in the container to substantially shut off the space above the glass at the gathering station from the space above the remainder of the glass in the container without interfering with movement of the glass gathering device through said opening to and from its glass gathering position at said gathering station.

6. The combination with a container for molten glass having an opening in a wall thereof slightly above the glass level through which a glass gathering device may be moved between a position outside of the container and a glass gathering position in the container, of a closure comprising a hollow body adapted to be moved between a position in the opening and a position above the gathering station in the container, said closure body being open at its bottom and outer end and having a refractory inner end portion adapted to substantially close the inner end por tion of said opening when said closure is disposed in said opening, the top and side walls of said closure body being adapted to cooperate with the inner endportion thereof to practically shut off communication between the space abovethe glass at the gathering station and the space above the remainder v therein through which a through said opening to and from its glass gathering position at said gathering station.

when said closure is in its non-closing position, and means for operating said closure.

7 In combination with a container for molten glass, having an opening formed lass gatheringdevice may be moved to and from a glass gathering position in the container, of a closure for the opening, means for slidably supporting the closure for horizontal rectilinear movement into and out of closed position, said closure and said means being arranged to permit the closure to be moved inwardly of the container to open position, and outwardly of the container to closed os'ition.

8. The combination wit molten glass having an opening formed therein through which a glass gathering device may be moved to and 'from a gathering position, means for slidably supporting said closure for rectilinear movement into and out of closed position, and means'carried by said closure for obstructing the passage of air from the exterior of said container into the interior thereof when the closure is in open position.

19signed at Paris this thirtieth day of July,

AIME MATHE.

a container for 

